For the first time in its history, the ZIFA Midlands Province Division Two League has secured sponsorship for a knockout cup competition, with local mining company Golden Mine Octa injecting US$7,000.
The historic tournament, ZIFA Midlands Province Golden Mine Octa Knockout Competition, will feature the top eight teams in the league and will be played during the mid-season break.
The breakthrough marks a new chapter for a league that has gone years without hosting a cup competition, with league leaders believing the tournament will raise standards and bring much needed exposure to clubs and players.
ZIFA Midlands Province chairperson Pervious Mathe hailed the sponsorship as a major endorsement of the progress made by the league.
“I am very thrilled by this development. It shows how much our league has improved,” said Mathe.
“This shows us that we are on the right direction as a league and as a province. This tournament will go a long way in improving the standard of football.”
Golden Mine spokesperson Tatenda Gambinga said the company views the sponsorship as the beginning of a long term relationship with football in the province.
Related Stories
“As an organization we want to give back to the community through supporting sport,” said Gambinga.
“We are here for the long term development of football and we hope that this initial knockout tournament can open doors for great things ahead.”
Teams occupying the top eight positions after Matchday 11 will qualify for the competition.
Although the sponsors have not committed beyond this year's edition, Mathe expressed hope that the tournament would become an annual event.
“That depends now with the sponsor, as the representative alluded during the launch. They were not specific, but we will try just after the end of the tournament this year to talk to them so that maybe we can make it an annual event. That is our wish,” he said.
Mathe believes the inaugural competition will have a far reaching impact.
“We have never had such a tournament in the history of Midlands Province. So, we are expecting a lot of football and very, very entertaining football,” he said.
“We expect that it will go beyond even the borders of Zimbabwe. People would want to know about it and follow it up to the end. Ultimately, attracting more sponsors and more exposure to our league and the players.”
He added that the bulk of the US$7,000 package will go to the participating clubs, while individual awards for the player, goalkeeper and coach of the tournament.
"we are also going to have the player of the tournament award, the goalkeeper of the tournament award, coach of the tournament award. Those individual accolades are also included in the package."
Leave Comments